Break Mechanics

 is created based on the information and stats generated by icewindhunter


 * 1) Effects of Boost, En-element, BDD, Piercing Break, and Exploit Weakness on the red gauge break damage with auto-attack
 * 2) Effect of Weaken on the red gauge break damage with auto-attack
 * 3) The Science of Breaking - #3 - Effects of Boost, En-element, BDD, and Weaken on the yellow gauge break damage

Against Yellow Gauge
Abilities Attacks
 * Elemental bonus % does not apply to Abilities' yellow gauge damage
 * IE Mage +200% water damage does not affect yellow gauge
 * Bonus magic % does apply to yellow gauge damage if using compatible class
 * Enemy elemental resistance (IE Drives) severely reduces Ability yellow gauge damage
 * Generally, yellow gauge break damage is merely one-fifth of red gauge break damage, except when En-element is on.
 * When En-element is on, yellow gauge break damage is only half of red gauge break damage.
 * Boost is 100% increase to yellow gauge break damage. It essentially doubles your break damage, so is best combined with other buff/debuffs.
 * BDD is 50% increase to yellow gauge break damage.
 * En-element is 225% increase to yellow gauge break damage, and further increases to 350% with Weaken.
 * Without En-element, Weaken is useless.
 * Critical hits with auto-attack do not increase yellow gauge break damage.

Formula : Break Damage(Yellow) = 1/5 x [Base Break Power × (Boost=2) × (BDD=1.5) × (En-element + Weaken=5/2=2.5)]

The '1/5' is in the formula because the yellow gauge break damage is only a fifth of the red gauge break damage.

The '5/2' multiplied with En-element/Weaken is in the formula because the yellow gauge break damage must be restored to the full amount of red gauge break damage (multiply by 5) before halving it (divide by 2), as dictated by the difference between the yellow and red gauges in the presence of En-element.

Excel Table

Against Red Gauge

 * Boost is 100% increase to red gauge break damage.
 * BDD is 50% increase to red gauge break damage.
 * En-element is 30% increase to red gauge break damage, but increases to 80% with Weaken. Exploit Weakness stacks additively on En-element as well.
 * Without En-element, both Weaken and Exploit Weakness are useless.
 * Critical hits with auto-attack do not increase red gauge break damage.

Formula : Break Damage(Red) = Base Break Power × Boost(2) × BDD(1.5) × Piercing Break(n=1.25-2.00) x [1 + En-element(0.3) + Weaken(0.5) + Exploit Weakness(n=0.5-0.7)]

Exploit Weakness and Piercing Break Min/Max value ranges taken from weapons. Can be higher or lower with card auto abilities.

Excel Table

Exploit Weakness vs Piercing Break

 * Exploit Weakness (70%) is 1.39x as effective as Piercing Break at damaging Yellow gauge.
 * Exploit Weakness is powerful against health gauge.

Maximum Red gauge Break multiplier = (all buffs, with Weaken) + Piercing Break (100%) = Base Break damage x 10.8
 * Piercing Break is the better auto-ability to invest in compared to Exploit Weakness, purely from the standpoint of damaging the Red gauge.
 * Red Gauge With Weaken, Exploit Weakness (70%) is 69.4% as effective as Piercing Break (100%)
 * Red Gauge Without Weaken, Exploit Weakness (70%) is 77% as effective as Piercing Break (100%)
 * Piercing Break is more reliant on Weaken debuff than Exploit Weakness.
 * If using Piercing Break (100%) and Weaken is removed, break damage decreases by 28%
 * If using Exploit Weakness (70%) and Weaken is removed, break damage decreases by 20%
 * Weaken is optional deck space cost
 * May be immune, resisted, dispelled
 * May/may not have useful secondary effect (Example: Legendary Treeface)
 * May/may not fit your class/color wheel (Example: The Friend)
 * Exploit Weakness is entirely reliant on En-Element
 * En-Element is mandatory. Cannot be removed from deck if you want to break
 * Multiple cards required for facing different elements (Example: Not Aerith)
 * Class non-specific and life orb costed (Example: Iceforce)
 * Strong elemental resistance of element you are targeting (Example: Cetus/Enpain 25% Light resistance)

Calculations: Exploit Weakness vs Piercing Break
Maximizing Break(All Buff + Debuff):
 * Red Bar: Piercing Break (100%) always increases Break by factor of 2.0x.
 * Red Bar (En Element + Weaken): Exploit Weakness (70%) increases Break by factor of 1.39x.
 * Red Bar (En Element w/o Weaken): Exploit Weakness (70%) increases break by factor of 1.54x.

Quick Break
Quick Break is currently capped at 40%.

Multipliers

 * En-element includes Pupu Cards & imbue elements Cards.

The above factors are calculated multiplicative. For example, Boost and En-element gives 2×3.25 = 6.5 multiplier.